Not surprisingly to veteran viewers of the reality competition for who will be the "next" Food Network Star, Linky - the pastry chef with South African roots - was eliminated last night. The basic reason for her failure was the inability to speak in front of the camera. Additionally, critics might argue that she never really had a point of view, was not that skilled as a chef, and had been hanging around for weeks simply because her team was doing well enough to protect her. Of course, with Linky coming from Team Giada, the team argument is weak because I still can't understand how some of these people have stuck around. Like Linky, Ippy has no camera presence at all and he never will. Martita is really not that interesting and her point of view - the Latina chef - is already well represented on the Food Network. Yvan is coming along ... but he's still not going to be star quality.
It really comes down to the ability to be engaging and interesting in front of a crowd. That simple trait goes back to the all important angle taken by Alton Brown in his initial screening. He wanted the chefs to "teach him something" because that is what a Food Network Star needs to do. And that was much appreciated by A Teachers View, as people don't often consider the significance of that quality. It is an EQ - or emotional intelligence - issue, rather than an IQ or skill. Not surprisingly, many intelligent and skilled people leave teaching - or never pursue it - because standing in front and being able to engage a group is quite tough. It's extremely challenging when you have a reluctant audience of young people. But it can be as tough for someone like a Food Network Star who has a very demanding and critical audience who will quickly change the channel if they don't like and buy what you're selling.
So, clearly, Linky didn't have "it."
Food Network Cookbook Holder
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